Metallic box.



' W. I. TUTTLE;

METALLIC BOX. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16, 1909.

Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Wane/awe COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH Gil-.WASHINOTON, D. c.

W. I. TUTTLE.

METALLIG BOX.

APPLICATION TILED AUG.16, 1909.

1,080,180. I Patented Dec. 2, 1913 2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

, nuentoz Wa ht {m e,

Wane/Men dmm a UNITED STATES PATENT ornion.

WASHINGTON I. TUTTLE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N.

Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

METALLIC BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VASHINGTON I. TUT- TLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Metallic Boxes, (Case (3,) of which the following is a specification.

My'invention relates to improvements in boxes, and has particular relation to boxes adapted for use as a carrier for tobacco.

Among the objects of the invention are to be found the following: (1) The provision of a box in which the body portion is formed from a single blank stamped out to provide, when folded, a receptacle to which a hood, cover or lid is secured to complete a box having a hinged cover, the parts being so arranged that the cover, when closed, is placed under spring tension by virtue of its own resilience, together with the character of its contact with the body portion of the box, and is so held under tension while the cover is kept closed; yet when the cover is released the cover, because of its own resilience and the said character of its contact with the body portion of the box, springs back automatically and abruptly leaves the box open. (2) The provision of a box the body portion of which has its ends substantially fiat, each box end having its ends curved, one of said curved ends conforming to the curvature of the bottom of the box, and a cover whose cross sectional direction of length is curved to approximately correspond with the curvature of the opposite end of the box ends, the cover having the periphery of its ends adapted to approximately aline with the box ends, the cover and body portion being complementally formed to release the cover when pressure is applied to the back and front of the body portion. (3) To provide a box body portion the bottom of which forms an integral part of the body portion, with a seam structure located intermediate the planes of the box ends. (4) To provide a box of this type with a cover having a wrapper-positioning portion. (5) To give the body portion and the cover such form that the cover, when swung over by hand toward the bodyportion and pressed down upon the latter, is automatically caught and securely held in closed position, and by the simple application of pressure upon the front face of the body portion, the cover is abruptly released.

(6) To provide a box of this type with a liner formed with a weakened line corresponding with the configuration of the contour of the top of the body portion.

To these and other ends, the nature of which will be readily understood as the invention is hereinafter disclosed, said invention consists in the improved construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the acompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference characters indicate similar parts in each of the views, Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank used in forming the body portion. Fig. 2 is a similar view with portions of the blank crimped prior to the folding of the blank. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the box, the cover being shown as open. Fig. 4 is a central, vertical cross sectional view of the box, the cover being shown in closed position. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of the body portion taken on the line 5, 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the cover and the body portion, and illustrating the manner in which a cigarette paper is positioned in the cover.

The box herein shown and described comprises a body portion A and a cover B. The body portion A is formed from the blank shown in Fig. l, which, after crimping, is folded and completed in a manner which does not require the use of solder. As shown in said Fig. 1, said blank is formed to provide a front a, a back a, a bottom a and ends or, the bottom a forming an integral connection between the front and back.

Each end a is curved, as at a, a at its opposite ends, the curvature of the curved ends a extending into the portion of the blank which subsequently forms the bottom (1 the blank being slitted along the curved line as indicated in Fig. 1. Each end a prior to the folding, is preferably crimped as shown in Fig. 2 to provide a peripheral inturned portion, or edge a said edge being of extended depth opposite the point of connection of the end and back, said extended portion being formed bythe projecting portion a in Fig. 1, said portion a subsequently forming a portion of the seam by means of which the front and back of the body portion are connected. The free edge of the back is formed with a plurality of projecting tongues spaced apart and forming hinge members for the cover, as presently described. The front a is cut away, as at a, the edges of the cut away portion forming the top of the front inthe completed body,

portion, said cut away portion being provided with a central projecting portlon a which is subsequently folded up to provide a catch member a as shown in Fig. 4. The ends of the front a are substantially parallel excepting at a point adjacent a notch a, the material between said notches and the edge a being adapted to coact with the projecting portion a to form the seam a for the box, as indicated in Fig. 5. After the blank shown in Fig. 1 has been crimped in the manner indicated in Fig. 2, the ends a are bent up to planes at right angles to the plane of the back a, thus providing projecting portions extending approximately parallel with the back, and which portions are adapted to be bent into and form a portion of the seam. The portion of the blank included in the front a and bottom a is placed in position with the bottom a extending within the projecting edge a of the curved ends a said projecting edges or lips a forming a support for the bottom, after which the front a is led out of the channel provided by the crimping of the ends a and has its opposite edges connected to the ends by the formation of the seams a, the notches a permitting this result to be obtained. By this construction it will be seen that by the forming of a seam along a portion of the front of the box, there is produced a box structure in which all of the parts are secured together in a manner to provide a permanent closure at all of the meeting points of the parts with no requirement of the use of solder or other securing means. In addition, it will be seen that the edge formed by the crimping of the end a provides a flat surface on which the cover rests, as presently described.

As will be seen in Fig. 3, the ends a project above the plane of the hinge of cover and back as well as above the plane of the cut away portion a". This projecting portion provides the closures for the ends of the cover when the latter is in closed position. The cover B is formed from a blank having a length equal to the length of the body portion in folded position, said cover being provided with a plurality of projecting tongues b which are adapted to form the complemental portions of the hinge completed by a rod 0 mounted within the tongues b and a Said cover is of a cross sectional length suflicient to be projected over the front a in closed position, the cover being free from any crimping or heading excepting at a point where a complemental catch member I) is formed, this construction leaving the inner face of the cover sub-- stantially free from any projecting portions, said cover having no end closures, the ends a providing such closures. The cover has its cross sectional length curved, the curvature normally being on an arc of greater radius than the radius of the curved ends a, thereby permitting the cover to close without pressure to approximately the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, the closin movement of the cover to this point not a fe'cting the cover in any manner. The application of pressure on the front of the cover after the cover has reached the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, causes the cover to pass toa position where the inner face has its periphery in contact with the inwardly projecting edges of the curved ends a throughout the periphery of said curvedends, as indicated in Fig. 4, this pressure being continued until the catch members engage. In movingthe cover from the position shown in dotted lines to that shown in full lines in Fig. 4, a tension is placed on the cover at approximately the point 10 in Fig. 4, which tension serves to open the cover when the catch members are released. To open the box, it is necessary only to apply pressure to the front of the body portion, this pressure carrying the catch menr her a out of engagement with the member 7), whereupon the energy stored in the cover, by virtue of the tension thereof serves to throw the cover to an open position from which it can be swung to any desired point.

As indicated in Fig. 7, one or more of the tongues b of the cover are spaced from and out of contact with the inner face of the cover this construction permitting of the placing of the edge of a wrapper, such as a cigarette paper, beneath the tongue and thereby retain the wrap-per against liability of the pas sage of the tobacco between it and the cover.

The box herein shown and described is especially adapted for use as a container for smoking tobacco. When, for instance,

-it is desired to fill a cigarette wrapper with tobacco, it is necessary only to place the wrapper in position in the cover after the latter has been opened, after which the body portion is tipped to allow the desired amount of tobacco to pass into the wrapper, after which the wrapper and material are rolled up to form the cigarette, either by using the cover as a support or by a removal of the wrapper therefrom. If it be desired to fill a pipe, the curvature of the cover and the absence of any end closures thereon, permits the cover to be used as a conducting channel for the tobacco between the interior of the box and the pipe. Many other advantages accrue by reason of the particular structure shown, but they will be obvious without recitation herein.

I WVhile I have herein shown and described a particular form of box, it is to .be understood that variations in such formation may be provided as may be found necessary, I reserving the right to make any and all such changes and modifications therein as may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims.

What I claim is 1. In a box, a body portion formed from a single blank and having its opposite ends formed with a peripheral lip, a portion of said lip being adapted to project over an intermediate portion of the remainder of the body portion, a different portion of the lip being adapted to be overlapped by the body portion.

2. In a box, a body portion formed from a single blank and having its opposite ends formed with a peripheral lip, said lip having successive portions adapted to respectively project over and to be overlapped by intermediate portions of thev remainder of the body portion.

3. In a metallic box, a body portion formed from a single blank, with the ends positioned at opposite sides of the blank, the blank being slitted to continue the configuration of an end of the end portions within the main portion of the blank, the edge portions of the blank adjacent the slits being adapted to be overlapped by the end portions when the box is formed, the continuation of such edges overlapping the end portions.

4. In a metallic box, a body portion formed from a single blank, with the ends positioned at opposite sides of the blank, the blank being slitted to continue the configuration of an end of the end portions within the main portion of the blank, the edge portions of the blank adjacent the slits being adapted to be overlapped by the end portions when the box is formed, said end portions having aprojecting portion adapted to be overlapped by the continuation of the edge portions of the blank.

5. In a metallic box, a body portion formed from a single'blank, with the ends positioned at opposite sides of the blank, the blank being slit-ted to continue the configuration of an end of the end portions within the main portion of the blank, the edge portions of the blank adjacent the slits being adapted to be overlapped by the end portions when the box is formed, the continuation of such edges overlapping the end portions, and connected thereto by a seam connection.

6. In a metallic box, a body portion formed from a single blank, with the ends positioned at opposite sides of the blank, the blank being slitted to continue the configuration of an end of the end portions within the main portion of the blank, the edge portions of the blank adjacent the slits being adapted to be overlapped by the end portions when the box is formed, said end portions having a projecting portion adapted to be overlapped by the continuation of the edge portions of the blank, and connected thereto by a seam connection.

7. In a metallic box, a body portion formed from a single blank, with the ends positioned at opposite sides of the blank, the opposite ends of the end portions bein of curved configuration, the blank being slitted to continue the configuration of an end of the end portions within the main portion of the blank, the edge portions of the blank adjacent the slits being adapted to be overlapped by the end portions when the box is formecl, the continuation of such edges overlapping the end portions.

8. In a metallic box, a body portion formed from a single blank, with the ends positioned at opposite sides of the blank, the blank being slitted to continue the configuration of an end of the end portions within the main portion of the blank, the peripheral edge of the end portions being inturned to form lips, the edge portions of the main blank adjacent the slits being adapted to be positioned within the lip, the continuation of such edge portions overlappin and having a seamed connection with a di erent portion of such lip.

9. In a metallic box, a body portion formed from a single blank, with the ends positioned at opposite sides of the blank, the opposite ends of the end portions being of curved configuration the blank being slitted to continue the configuration of an end of the end portions within the main portion of the blank, the peripheral edge of the end portions being inturned to form lips, the edge portions of the main blank adjacent the slits being adapted to be positioned within the lip, the continuation of such edge portions overlapping and having a seamed connection with a different portion of such lip.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WASHINGTON I. TUTTLE.

Witnesses:

M. H. CoNNoR, J H. KLINGSTINE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

